Travel Guide To Hamburg

Hamburg is the centre of Germany's insurance, internet and newspaper industries and is its second fashion capital (as the birthplace of Karl Lagerfeld). Boasting ritzy shopping streets and lively areas such as the infamous Reeperbahn , the city is also surprisingly beautiful.

Where to stay in Hamburg

25HOURS HOTEL

Paul-Dessau-Strasse 2, Hamburg (00 49 40 855070; www.25hours-hotels.com/hamburg). Why miss out on Living Divani daybeds, Brionvega televisions and special-edition Sixties-style lamps by Flos? You can have it all here, although you will have to do without room service, mini-bars and toiletries. The curved walls of the mirrored reception flow between the Esszimmer bar/restaurant and a multi-functional 'Wohnzimmer', or living room, with an open fire. Lighting allows for mood changes throughout the day: brighter for breakfast, darker for the evening. The bedrooms are mainly white, with cushions and throws in pale blues and greens, matching the Seventies-style patterned wallpaper. The bespoke bedroom and bathroom furniture, in white MDF, is mixed with string curtains beneath bare concrete ceilings. 25hours was featured in The Hot List 2004. £

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ATLANTIC KEMPINSKI

An der Alster 72-79, Hamburg (00 49 40 288 8817; www.kempinski.atlantic.de). Overlooking the Alster, the city's huge city-centre lake, the Atlantic Kempinski is located just a few minutes' walk from the exhibitions at the Kunsthalle (see What to See). Its ambience is pleasantly old-fashioned and palatial: it was built for first-class ocean liner passengers departing for the USA. The 252 rooms and suites are traditionally furnished in an elegant, understated style, and the restaurant serves modern continental cuisine from pioneering chef Sven Buttner. Service friendly and efficient, but the buffet breakfast is a bit pricey at &euro;33. ££

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EAST

Simon-von-Utrecht-Strasse 31, Hamburg (00 49 40 309930; www.east-hamburg.com). East is in a former steel foundry in Pauli, on the edgier side of Hamburg near the Reeperbahn. It is the first hotel from the restaurant-bar group Gastro Consulting, and the emphasis is very much on the Asian-fusion food, Asian-influenced cocktails (in Yakshi's Bar) and partying. The bedrooms are on five floors named, colour-coded and scented after oriental spices and flowers, and are categorised from S to XXL. The decor is a tour de force for the hotel's Chicago-based architect and designer, Jordan Mozer, who has fashioned curvaceous headboards out of resin to resemble oversized wing-back chairs and placed polished cast-aluminium sculptural basins centre stage between the bed and the open-plan bathrooms. The spa on the top floor has an unusual urban terrace looking on to the bold mosaics and curvilinear wood trim of the sauna. East was featured in The Hot List 2005. ££

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EMPIRE RIVERSIDE HOTEL

Bernhard-Nocht-Strasse 91, Hamburg (00 49 40 311190; www.empire-riverside.de). A brand new hotel built on the site of an old brewery, the contemporary Empire Riverside Hotel is located between the River Elbe and the Reeperbahn. Designed by British architect David Chippenfield, it is housed in a spectacular skyscraper that is sunlit and spacious. The 328 bedrooms include 12 junior suites and are decorated in a stark, modern style; 85 per cent have river views. The fine international restaurant serves dishes from Spain, Japan and Cuba, and the popular penthouse bar is great for cocktails. ££

FAIRMONT HOTEL VIER JAHRESZEITEN

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Neuer Jungfernstieg 9-14, Hamburg (00 49 40 34940; www.hvj.de). An impeccably maintained hotel dating from 1897, with stunning public areas full of marble, tapestries and chandeliers. There are 156 rooms and suites on five floors: the good-sized, individually furnished rooms are traditional without being fusty. Restaurants include the Michelin-starred Restaurant Haerlin, Art Deco Jahreszeiten Grill, Euro-Asian Doc Cheng's and the elegant Café Condi. The spa offers European and Asian treatments, including hot-stone massage. £££

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GARDEN HOTEL

Magdalenenstrasse 60, Hamburg (00 49 40 414040; www.gardenhotels.de). Three white Edwardian villas form a smart, quiet hotel in the leafy, chi-chi district of Pöseldorf. Epic breakfasts but no restaurant. £

GASTWERK

Beim Alten Gaswerk 3, Daimlerstrasse, Hamburg (00 49 40 890620; www.gastwerk.com). This Design Hotel masterpiece of industrial chic is located in a Victorian gasworks in Ottensen, a half-dozen S-bahn stops from the city centre. There are 141 spacious rooms, including 14 suites and 46 lofts. ££

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HOTEL ABTEI

Abteistrasse 14, Hamburg (00 49 40 442 905; www.abtei-hotel.de). A refurbished Grunderzeit (late-19th-century) villa with a grand staircase, smoky mirrors, candelabra, paintings and grandfather clocks. There are 11 rooms and suites, most with a terrace or conservatory. There is a pretty garden where breakfast is served in the summer. The locally renowned Prinz Frederik restaurant serves nouvelle cuisine; breakfast is served in the basement café or the garden in summer. £££

LE ROYAL MERIDIEN

An der Alster 52-56, Hamburg (00 49 40 21000; www.starwoodhotels.com). The glass-and-steel façade sets the tone for this contemporary business hotel, with high-speed Internet access in every room. 284 bright, colour-coordinated rooms (blue, pink, green or red) and suites are arranged on eight floors. The restaurant Le Ciel on the ninth floor has a Mediterranean menu and great views but lacks atmosphere. Most of the rooms have panoramic views of the Alster. Make sure you request one. ££

LOUIS C JACOB

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Elbchaussee 401-403 Hamburg (00 49 40 822550; www.hotel-jacob.de). Overlooking the River Elbe on the Elbchausee, Hamburg's grandest boulevard, Louis C Jacob is near the pretty village of Blankenese. It was built in 1791 and, despite a recent update and tasteful renovations, the style remains timeless and discreet. The hotel has 85 rooms, including 19 suites; the wood-panelled walk-in dressing rooms are a particular delight. German chef Thomas Martin combines traditional local ingredients with French cuisine at the popular restaurant, and the hotel has an impressive art collection. ££££

PARK HYATT HAMBURG

Bugenhagenstrasse 8, Hamburg (00 49 40 3332 1234; hamburg.park.hyatt.com). The Park Hyatt is located on the top seven floors of an Art Deco warehouse, refurbished with acres of cherry wood, and is popular with media types. There are 252 rooms and suites and 30 apartments. Apples restaurant serves Mediterranean fare, the Park Lounge is for traditional high tea and there is 24-hour room service. This is a business hotel with a leisurely vibe: a great cocktail bar and Hamburg's biggest swimming pool. ££

SIDE

Drehbahn 49, Hamburg (00 49 40 309 990; www.side-hamburg.de). This 12-floor, glass-fronted hotel, designed by architect Jan Störmer, has restrained bedrooms with dark-wood floors and crisp white linen sheets. The 'wellness' area comprises a swimming pool, sauna, aromatherapy steam room, gym, solarium and massage/treatment room. SIDE's Fusion bar has established itself as one of Hamburg's coolest hangouts and is usually packed at weekends. SIDE was featured in the www.sofitel.com). A designer hotel with in-house spa in the city's swankiest shopping district. Orange, yellow and turquoise glass panels and muted beige predominate. £££

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Where to eat out in Hamburg

CAFES

CAFE CONDI

Neuer Jungfernstieg 9-14, Hamburg (00 49 40 34940; www.hvj.de). This decidedly gemutlich café in the Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten is the place to go for a filling breakfast and sumptuous cakes. Read more about the hotel in Where to Stay.

RESTAURANTS

DAS FEUERSCHIFF

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City Sporthafen, Vorsetzen, Hamburg (00 49 40 362 553; www.das-feuerschiff.de). Das Feuerschiff is a bar and restaurant on a converted Channel lightship moored near the Free Port. Watch the river traffic pass by over a bowl of fish soup washed down with good Bavarian Weissbier.

EAST RESTAURANT

Simon-von-Utrecht-Strasse 31, Hamburg (00 49 40 309933; www.east-hamburg.com). The flamboyant restaurant at East hotel has soaring ceilings and huge sculptural pillars, and is overlooked by a two-tier bar that juts into the space like a Dalíesque cartoon. The menu features Euro-Asian dishes such as tuna tartar with avocado and crispy lotus roots, and springbok medallions on a chickpea ragout with pandan jus. Late at night, DJs are installed in the bar and the entire space becomes an enormous club. Read about East hotel in Where to Stay.

FISCHEREIHAFEN

Grosse Elbstrasse 143, Hamburg (00 49 40 381 816; www.fischereihafenrestaurant.de). On a sunny day, a table overlooking the River Elbe can offer an alfresco experience as good as any in southern Europe. Located in a converted warehouse in the former fishing port, this restaurant serves up fine seafood to the burghers of Hamburg, who like to dine on the outside terrace, weather permitting, and watch the container ships glide gracefully past. Try the excellent fresh fish (especially codling and flounder), cured herrings and smoked eel. Start your meal with a dozen oysters from the very popular oyster bar.

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FISCHERHAUS

St Pauli Fischmarkt 14, Hamburg (00 49 40 314 053; www.restaurant-fischerhaus.de). A popular old place packed with families in their best knitwear, the Fischerhaus scores highly for its mighty helpings of no-frills local food (pickled herrings, fried plaice with sautéed potatoes and Labskaus: beef, herrings, potato and beetroot), friendly service and the fact that you won't find anywhere like it outside Germany.

NIL

Neuer Pferdemarkt 6, Hamburg (00 49 40 439 7823; www.restaurant-nil.de). Fashionable bar and restaurant in a converted shoe shop. The food - potato soup with white truffles, venison with baby turnips and potato cakes - is smartly executed and the wine list seems designed to convince sceptics that not all German whites are sweet. Booking is advised for dinner.

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BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS

ST MICHAELIS CHURCH

Englische Planke 1a, Hamburg (00 49 40 376 780; www.st-michaelis.de). Located in the Altstadt (the Old Town, see above), the red brick, baroque church, dating back to the 1760s, has sweeping views of the city and port from its lift-accessible tower.

RATHAUS

Rathausmarkt 1, Hamburg (00 49 40 42831). The neo-Renaissance Rathaus (Town hall) is one of the most interesting city halls in Germany and has more than 647 rooms.

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MUSEUMS

KUNSTHALLE MUSEUM

Stiftung öffentlichen Rechts, Glockengiesterwall (00 49 40 428 131200; www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de). The Kunsthalle has a superb collection of paintings from 1400 to the 20th century, including important works by some of Germany's greatest painters, from Lucas Cranach to Lovis Corinth.

Things to do in Hamburg

Take to the water

Hamburg is a city surrounded by water. Three rivers, the Elb, the Alster and the Bille, traverse it, as does a grid of narrow canals. And the large, picturesque Alster lake, dotted with yachts and ringed by leafy banks, pretty parks, villas and waterside cafés, accentuates the maritime feel. Explore the city by boat, on a ferry or steamer, or rent your own boat. For more information, visit www.alstertouristik.de.

Where to shop in Hamburg

For designer stores, head to oldest and most prestigious shopping streets in Hamburg, Grosse Bleichen and Neuer Wall, Jungfernstieg and Ufer Strasse. Less expensive shopping streets, housing the big department stores, are Spitalstrasse and Mönckebergstrasse.

DEPARTMENT SHOPS

ALSTERHAUS

Jungfernstieg 16-20, Hamburg (00 49 40 359 010; www.alsterhaus.de ). Alsterhaus, located on one of the most prestigious shopping streets in Hamburg, is a recently renovated elegant shopping destination. The department store stocks everything from cosmetics by Acqua di Parma to fashion by Max Mara and china by Wedgwood. Open Mon-Sat.

HANSE VIERTEL

Poststrasse 33, Hamburg (00 49 40 36 17 43 50; www.hanse-viertel.de). The glass-roofed Hanse Viertel Galerie is some 200m long and filled with boutiques - including Lacoste, Falke and Stefanel - and a scattering of upscale cafés. Open Mon-Sat.

FASHION

ESCADA

Neuer Wall 32, Hamburg (00 49 40 363 296; www.escada.com). Escada, a German fashion label, was created by Margaretha and Wolfgang Ley in 1976, and has been known for its high-class collections and perfumes ever since.

JIL SANDER

Neuer Wall 43, Hamburg ( 00 49 40 374 1290; www.jilsander.com). German fashion house Jil Sander's Hamburg shop is beautifully minimalist, and worth a visit even if you can't afford the clothes. The decor is black, white and grey, and compliments the clothes perfectly.

THOMAS-I-PUNKT

Hardenstrasse 9, Hamburg (00 49 40 789 9880; www.thomasipunkt.de). A very cool shop for a very cool crowd, Thomas-i-Punkt sells trainers and clothes to suit young boys and men.

JEWELLERY

BRAMFELD & GUTRUF

Jungfernstieg 12, Hamburg (00 49 40 34 61 03; www.brahmfeld-gutruf.de). Brahmfeld & Gutruf is a classic German jewellery house, which has been in business since 1743. The style is classic and the prices are high.

How to get to Hamburg

BY AIR

AIRPORT

Hamburg Fuhlsbüttel (www.airport.de) is the city's international airport, located 9km north-west of the city centre.

Tourist information for Hamburg

HAMBURG TOURIST OFFICE

(00 49 40 300 51 300; www.hamburg-tourism.de) There are tourist offices at the central railway station (Kirchenallee main entrance), at the airport (at arrivals in terminal 1 and 2), and at the harbour (St Pauli Landungsbrucken, between jetty 4 and 5). The tourist offices sell the Hamburg CARD, which grants free or discounted admission to many museums and free use of public transport. You can also buy it at hotels, at Hamburg Transit Authority customer offices, and through your travel agent.